BLACKSBURG — Name the top rusher in the Big East this season. If you said Virginia Tech's Kevin Jones, West Virginia's Quincy Wilson or Syracuse's Walter Reyes, you're wrong.

It's Boston College's Derrick Knight. Though the 5-foot-9, 207-pound tailback hasn't gotten the headlines some of his Big East counterparts have, he has made his presence known to BC's opponents. He leads the conference with 1,402 rushing yards and six touchdowns and is fifth in the nation with an average of 127.5 yards per game.

Like Jones, Knight has seven 100-yard rushing games this season. While BC (6-5 overall, 2-4 Big East) could help its bowl chances with a win at Virginia Tech in Saturday's game --scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on ESPN -- Knight has extra motivation. He is 192 yards from passing Mike Cloud (3,597 rushing yards from 1995-98) and becoming the Eagles' all-time leading rusher.

"He's very shifty," Beamer said. "He breaks tackles. He's just a stocky guy that I really think is a good tailback. He might have been under the radar, but he's the guy that's tops in charge as far as what the stats say (in the Big East). He's earned it. There's no easy yards there."

ROAD COOKING. Virginia Tech could learn something from BC. The Hokies are 2-2 on the road and could finish below .500 away from Lane Stadium for the first time since 1997, the Eagles are 4-1.

That's an unusual trend for BC. The Eagles haven't had a winning record on the road since '99. They finished the season 2-4 at home, giving them their first losing home record since '98. It makes Eagles coach Tom O'Brien uncomfortable.

"Everything is upside down this year," O'Brien said. "Seriously, I don't have an answer. We're not very happy with our performance at home, because we've always been a very good home team and we lost that this year. ... Maybe the team likes to be on the road. I don't think that's the case, but I don't have a definitive answer."

COMISERATION. Virginia Tech place-kicker Carter Warley was the first player to console Temple's Jared Davis last Saturday when Davis missed a potential game-tying extra point in overtime of the Hokies' 24-23 victory.

"I said, 'Look buddy, I've been where you are right now. I know how it feels,' " Warley said. "That was it. I walked off. I've missed a game-winning kick. I know how it feels. You don't want people talking to you. If you get your linemen patting you on the back and telling you it's OK, that's always a good feeling. But you don't always get that."

GOOD PROTECTION. In the past five years, BC has been less susceptible to what they call "Beamerball" in Blacksburg than any other Big East team. Since 1998, Virginia Tech has at least one blocked kick or punt against every Big East team except BC.

INJURY UPDATE. With defensive end Nathaniel Adibi and defensive tackle Kevin Lewis injured, Tech's defensive line might be younger this weekend than it has been in years.

Adibi is questionable with a dislocated right thumb, but he is wearing a large cast and probably won't be able to play much, if at all. He had surgery Sunday to have three pins placed in his thumb. Lewis is out with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee.

Sophomore Tim Sandidge will start for Lewis. If Adibi can't start, sophomore Darryl Tapp will go. That would give the Hokies three sophomore starters on their defensive line, including tackle Jonathan Lewis. End Cols Colas, a senior, will be the other starter.